A MOMENTOUS YEAR: Main Events of 1938 in Miniature

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 31 December 1938, Page 7

A MOMENTOUS YEAR: Main Events of 1938 in Miniature

JAN. 12. Samoan Clipper (Captain E. C. Musick, commander) lost with all hands on flight from Pago Pago to Auckland ) JAN. 24. U S.A. present demands to Japar for one million dollars compensation for the bombing of the gunboat Panay on the Yangtse River in December, 1937 2 FEB. 10. Obit, SirTruby King, founder of the Plunket system of child and mother welfare 3 FEB. 13. Launch Rodney overturns in Sydney Harbour, 12 drowned, seven missing .... 4 FEB. 19. Flood disaster at Kopuawhara Public Works Camp No. 4 near Wairoa, when a stream swollen by a cloudburst washed away the camp. Twenty-one lives lost b FEB. 20. Mr. Anthony Eden, Secretary ot State for Foreign Affairs, resigned because ol policy differences with Mr. Chamberlain 6 MAR. 11. German troops cross the bordei into Austria. A few days later Austria irv corporated in the Reich / MAR. 20. Flying Officer A. E. Clouston and Mr. Victor Ricketts arrive at Blenheim after o record flight from England 8 MAR. 26. Excursion train derailed at Ratana near Wanganui. Six killed and several injured, one of whom died later 5 MAR. 15. Cloudburst at French Pass. One fatality due to shock 10 MAY 3. Empire Exhibition at Bellahoustor Park, Glasgow, opened by King George VI 11 JUNE 11. Obit, Sir George Richardson, formei officer in charge of the administration of the New Zealand Military Forces lx' JUNE 22. Obit, Countess of Strathmore mother of Queen Elizabeth 13 JULY 7. Terrorism increases in Palestine Situation became progressively worse til: November, when increased British military forces regained control 14 JULY 15. Howard Hughes completes world encircling flight in less than four days ... 15 JULY 19. King George and Queen Elizabeth make State visit to France 16 JULY 21. Mercury pick-a-back plane makes successful Atlantic crossing with mails, includ ing newsreels, photographs and newspapers describing Royal visit to Paris 17 JULY 28. Inaugural flight to Australia carrying unsurcharged airmail begun by Empire flying-boat from Southampton 18 AUG. 3. Intensive activity in building fortifications along Rhine frontier begun by Germany 19 AUG. 3. Lord Runciman arrived at Prague to act as independent mediator between Sudeten Germans and the Czechoslovak Government 20 AUG. 17. Silver jubilee as Archbishop celebrated by Archbishop O'Shea, Roman Catholic Primate of New Zealand 21 AUG. 21. Admiral Horthy, Regent of Hungary, feted in Berlin. Visit marked beginning of reorientation of political association of Austric toward friendship with Germany 22 AUG. 23. Hutton, Yorkshire professional established world record innings of 364 in Eng land's first innings at the Oval of the fifth Tesi match against Australia. The Australian team retained the Ashes 23 SEPT. 12. Speech by Herr Hitler at Nurem berg increases tension over Sudeten problem Start of serious European crisis SEPT. 15. Mr. Neville Chamberlain takes bold and unprecedented step of flying to Munich to attempt reconciliation of Herr Hitler with Czechoslovakia 25 SEPT. 28. State of Emergency declared in Great Britain following Czech rejection of Herr Hitler's terms presented to Mr. Chamberlain on his second visit to Germany. Air Raid Precautions swiftly begun in London .... 26 SEPT. 29. Mr. Chamberlain, M. Daladier, Herr Hitler and Signor Mussolini met in Munich in historic four-Power conference which averted war in Europe 27 OCT. 2. German troops begin occupation of Sudeten area ceded by Czechoslovakia under the Munich agreement 28 OCT. 2. Mr. Duff Cooper, First Lord of the Admiralty, resigned because of disagreement with Mr. Chamberlain's foreign policy . . . 29 OCT. 5. Obit, Sir Harold Beauchamp, for more than 50 years an outstanding figure in business and banking circles in New Zea land 3C OCT. 13. Japanese landing in Bias Bay, cutting communications between Hong Kong and Canton. Throughout the year the Japanese made steady advances into China without, however, reducing the effective resistance of the Chinese Army 31 OCT. 15. New Zealand General Elections Labour Government, under Mr. Savage, re turned to power with slightly reduced majority 32 NOV. 7. Wellesley bombers successful ir> flight from Ismailia, Egypt, to Dcrwin, Aus tralia, establishing new world record nonstoc distance flight 3: NOV. 8. A Polish Jew shot and wounded Dr von Rath, second secretary of the German Em bassy in Paris, who later died of his wounds The attack precipitated an unexampled pog rom against the Jews in Germany 3^ NOV. 8. Cloudburst at Coal Creek, Centra 1 Otago, wreaking havoc in the orchards and among buildings 35 NOV. 10. Obit, Kemal Ataturk, founder anc dictator of modern Turkey . 36 NOV. 16. Anglo-ltalian Pact signed in Rome Lord Perth acting on behalf of Great Britain 3~ NOV. 18. Trade Treaties between Greai Britain and the United States of America anc Canada arid the United States signed at the White House, Washington 3£ NOV. 20. Obit, Queen Maud of Norway Queen Maud died in London following ar operation. Queen Maud was a sister of the late King George V and thus was aunt of the present King 3 c NOV. 23. Catalogue, New Zealond-bred and owned winner of the 1938 Melbourne Cup returned from Australia 4Q